Outside In: Central

Exhibition Guide23 March – 15 December 2013

Outside In: Central

This exhibition is part of a national project that provides a platform for artists who have little or no contact with the established art world and often face barriers due to disability, health or social circumstance. The goal of the project is to generate a ‘gentle revolution’ which will enable all who create to have their work seen and valued.

The exhibition at Compton Verney features work by sixteen artists selected by a panel from over 300 entries across eight counties in the central region, including Shropshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Warwickshire. The work on display gives a unique insight into the extraordinary breadth and vitality of work produced by individuals who often have no formal artistic training. Many of the artists use their life experiences to create art or find the making itself a spontaneous and cathartic process.

At its heart the impact of Outside In is a liberating influence for both artists and audiences, allowing a broader discussion of what art is and a wider participation in its meaning. To further convey this meaning and value, each artist in the exhibition has written a personal statement to accompany their work.

N.B. Artists on display in Gallery 1 are displayed in alphabetical order by first name. Images of art works shown in this guide are not to scale and may not be an accurate representation of the original’s colour.

Supported by

I like to paint and draw. I like watching animals or looking at pictures of them in books and then painting them. I love to work with bright colours. I’ve had a lot of practice drawing and painting at Arty Party. When I’m doing my artwork it makes me feel calm and relaxed, it’s a thing I love doing and I hope I can do more big canvas paintings.

These two paintings were done after a visit to Chester Zoo. I like the shape and colour of flamingos and was trying to recreate the bright pink of the flamingo’s feathers. I’ve never painted a kangaroo before so painted its shape in yellow and used ink for detail and to brighten it up. I used a strong purple background to make the kangaroo stand out.

I have a passion for abstract art and use the process of making art as a coping strategy for the issues I have and to tell a story of my life. I am submitting work to gain recognition for the work I do. I suffered in silence for over 25 years of my life with the illness, not knowing where to go to get help and taking anti-depressants for so long which I found didn’t work for me. My work represents the isolation I felt of not knowing which direction my life was heading.

My thoughts behind the works here are: emptying the mind, visualising each step with my mind as I put my issues in a box and put the boxes in the cupboard, then opening my mind’s subconscious to become creative on the long road to recovery. My art is made up of random lines and squiggles, which evolve into shapes, figures, patterns and items of interest throughout the finished image. My inspiration comes from the great abstract artist Jackson Pollock and my artistic licence.

Alison Picknell

Kangaroo-Koo2010, acrylic on canvasPrice £127

Flamingo2010, acrylic on canvasPrice £127

Andy Anderson

Untitled 1 (black) 2011, biro and acrylicPrice £2,000

Untitled 2 (red)2011, biro and acrylicPrice £2,000

This picture represents my regrettable ability to cause social chaos. Despite my best efforts, I seem to cause problems wherever I dwell and even my extraction seems to be hurtful.

One of many wax reliefs (my icons as I call them), War Comment is about the pointlessness of war. Inspired by reading Vera Brittain’s book ‘Testament of Youth’ – a haunting elegy for a lost generation. She conveyed not only the horror, the wastage, the pity and heroism of modern war (W.W.1), but also conveyed its grief.

My piece, I hope, conveys the vulnerability of humans. The flesh taken off – removed, bones stripped bare, fragile, sadness, melancholy. As the text says (a quote from V.B.) ‘we are but dust, lost forever. The heart shape mouth turned on its side = kiss, love, life force, remembrance forever, hope?’

I like watching what people are doing and then drawing and painting them. My work shows Julianne sitting by the paint trolley. I used ink as it really makes the picture stand out. I like all sorts of creative stuff, particularly life drawing and would like to be a professional artist and have an exhibition where all the art work was mine.

For additional Keith Pawley art works and his artist statement, please see section on Folk Art and Outside In later in this guide and on display in Gallery 3.

Duncan Simpson

Chaos Unleashed2012, coloured pencil on paperNot for sale

Gabrielle Roberts-Dalton

War Comment2010, wax on canvas in wooden boxNot for sale

John Sprint

Portrait of Julianne2010, inkPrice £191

Keith Pawley

On One Leg2012, oil on canvasPrice £265

Being encouraged to start art from the Mental Health system has changed my unhealthy “looking inward” to looking outward. Seeing the world with its beauty; a flower to paint, and more, I can now feed my soul with light not darkness.

The etching Desire was inspired by my thought “What would I feel if I was disabled like Helen Keller*?” The watercolour was inspired by a memory of being lost at 8000 ft in the mountains of Norway.

*Helen Adams Keller (1880 – 1968) was an American author and political activist, and the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Mary Carroll

Desire (red)No date, dry point etchingPrice £53

Walking in a… (grey)No date, ink on water colour paperPrice £106

The Giant Map cast a spell on me. The fantastical world of the medieval Mappa Mundi. I felt compelled to make my own. With beasts and words, mayhem, fact and fictuals. A quest of riddles.

Looking for elusive. Energy. Mapping M.E. became “Drop of Make-Up”. Painting my remedy - accidentally.

Mary Courtney

Drop of Make-up2012, ink on watercolour paperPrice £6,800

These are two pieces I have created from my own imagination. The main type of work I really like to do is design. I am very precise and accurate with my work and I choose bright colours to give a contrasting effect. I have always liked the idea of creating and designing as it helps me to express myself.

Nigel Williams

New Bed 2012, card, glue, acrylicPrice £74

Gismos2012, card, glue, acrylicPrice £74

Growing up, people like Tony Hart* were very important. Watching him made me feel that I could be an artist and that art is for everybody. I start with an idea, which I sketch out onto paper or canvas, a frame to put the picture on, like a circle or a diamond, then over the next few weeks I build the picture up adding colours and details. I don’t plan the pictures, I just know exactly what I want to do. When I do it, I go with the flow.

*Tony Hart (1925 – 2009) gained fame as children’s presenter and artist on television shows such as Vision On, Playbox, Take Hart and Hartbeat.

Tara grew up in Iran and has lived in the UK for 40 years. She made the piece Still Life 30 years ago when she was an art foundation student. She got a place on a typography degree course but was prevented from following her dreams because of personal circumstances. Tara attends several Charnwood Arts groups and produces interesting, insightful and colourful work.

(Gemma Bagley, Charnwood Arts)

Richard Hunt

Jigsaw Puzzle with an R2012, paint and gel penPrice £159

Tara O

Still Life1983, pastelPrice £106

Folk Art and Outside In: CentralThe six artists in these galleries were asked to work with us and choose a piece from our British Folk Art Collection, which is displayed here alongside a selection of their own work. The works chosen often reflect themes already within the artists’ work, or personal narratives which have shaped their lives. These dialogues have also given us the opportunity to bring new voices into the collection, and continue to foster our aim of opening up Folk Art to a wider audience through different methods of interpretation.

The Folk Art collection at Compton Verney features paintings, sculpture and everyday objects, often made by untrained and unknown makers. ‘Folk Art’ and ‘Outsider Art’ are terms that are often closely affiliated to one another, and work categorised as such commonly shares a disregard for established modes of artistic expression and a focus on personal narratives and inventiveness.

Artwork from left to right

Confused Yet Wise 2012, pen, black Indian ink, watercolour paper Price £371

Status Quo 2012, dip pen, fineliner, black Indian ink, watercolour paper Price £371

Untitled (corner of a room) 2011, pen, watercolour ink, watercolour paperNot for sale

Here we Go Again Noah! 2012, pen, black Indian ink, watercolour paper Price £371

Day Out 2011, pen, watercolour ink, watercolour paperPrice £159

65 No date, dip pen, fineliner, black Indian ink, watercolour paper Price £371

The concept of my works stems from me being moved and effected by the past, present, future and how that impacts the life of others and my life as a person, man, disabled and black man. I want to create an impact with my expressive, sharp, harsh marks at times.

The reason I chose the shipwreck from the Folk Art collection was because it stood out to me straightaway because of the drama, movement and detail depicting a ship being shipwrecked in a violent sea onto a shore, but, within all the carnage, “people” were “working together” and “saving”, “salvaging”. And for me that highlighted my values and links in with my own beliefs, that no matter how hard a place you might be in at times, it’s life, it will pass and something good can be salvaged by yourself or with others!

Christopher Samuel

Folk Art Selection:

A Terrible Shipwreck by T. L. Mourilyan R.N. Oil on canvas, 1870

DNA 2007, silk, dyes (batik)Not for Sale

Mini DNA 2006, cotton, tie and dyed, machine embroidery, hoopsPrice £64 each £159 for a group of 3£191 for a group of 4

My silk piece and embroidery hoops symbolise the shapes of the DNA. My art work magnifies the intricate detail of the shapes of the nucleus and chromosomes. My work represents the evolutionary dispersal of the cells and the uniqueness of each individual manifestation of life.

The silk piece shows the tones, colours, the blending of the dyes and the way it makes new shades and hues. I use my own colours, textures and forms to show the beauty and intricacy of our individual life. From one cell to one million cells, each one is unique.

The embroidery in the hoops is a tighter selection of the distinct unique individual well-defined shapes.

The context of my work falls in the field of textile and fine art. I enjoy surface design, machine embroidery, batik and dyeing.

The artwork I chose from the Folk Art Collection is the Model of a Potter’s Workshop. I chose it because, like the DNA, the clay starts as a lump with no form or shape but with the skill of the potter it is also transformed into something unique and beautiful.

Natasha Boyd

Folk Art Selection:

Model of a Potter’s Workshop, British Wood and metal, about 1900

N.B. Natasha has also made a limited edition collection of silk scarves based on her work which are available in the shop.

Sure we can 2006, acrylic on board Price £742

Cow and Gate Lorry 2009, acrylic on boardPrice £500

Tornado 1988, acrylicPrice £318

Many of my paintings have been inspired by companies I have worked for in the past, namely Rolls-Royce Military Aero Engines, TNT Express, Cow and Gate Babyfoods and Cosworth Motorsport. My boyhood dream was to join the Royal Navy and see the world but as I had severe complex post traumatic stress disorder from my childhood traumas, they would not take me.

I also paint transport themes as my passion in life is to travel whenever I can. When travelling, the dark veil of my depression is lifted. Every day I endeavour to do something positive, no matter how small; an inch or two every day mounts up to miles over time.

As I look at my work I take heart that no matter how dark my memories of my childhood were, my art is colourful, bright and cheerful and that way I know my spirit was not broken.

I chose this Alfred Wallis painting for its raw disregard for perspective and scale. It seems to me by emphasising and making certain objects in the painting larger, Alfred manages to draw our attention to them. It certainly works for me and I love observing it. I had not known about Alfred until I was asked to choose a piece from Compton Verney’s Folk Art collection - however I am now a great admirer of his work.

In the art world, Alfred’s and my work are labelled “Naive”. However, like me, Alfred started painting to anaesthetise emotional pain; he losing his wife and me trying to cope with depression. Both of us just painting whatever we choose to paint in our own unique style. I see Alfred and I as kindred spirits.

Michael George

Folk Art Selection:

Schooner approaching harbour by Alfred Wallis (1855-1942) Oil on canvas, about 1930

Upon the Sea 2012, acrylic and glitter Price £530

Titanic 2011, acrylicPrice £318

Victorian Street, Digbeth 2011, acrylicPrice £318

Forgotten Soup Run 2012, oil Price £530

My artwork is inspired by artists such as Lowry and Turner. Most of my art work is to tell a story, showing subjects and situations I see in everyday life and also showing the difference between the rich and the poor. My art work is my way of dealing with my innermost concerns that affect British life styles.

I remember as a child my father taking me to South Shields to see the first ever lifeboat that still exists. It was built and designed at South Shields. At the time my father bought me a model of the Titanic. It was very strange because it meant something to me. I kept having dreams about the model. Many years later when I was researching my family tree, I was shocked to find out I had a relative called Arthur Edward West who went down with the ship after saving his wife and children.

I have always been fascinated by design and safety ideas, which lead me to become a health and safety representative for Unison, and to this day art and design has played an important part in my life.

William West

Folk Art Selection:

Lifeboat model, British Wood, early 1900s

Artwork from left to right

Self Portrait2012, pastel on paperPrice £186

A Pincer2012, oil on canvasPrice £159

Banana Bird2012, watercolour paint and drawing on paperPrice £53

Tune To Tracey 2012, oil on boardPrice £265

Bouncing Ball2012, oil on canvasPrice £265

From an early age, around a year, I remember playing with creative toys such as building blocks, and hammering shapes into holes to cause pretty colours. My father worked for a printing company and kept me permanently supplied with pieces of card that would have been destroyed if not required. The card not only was a permanent surface to draw and paint on, but it could be cut and slotted, making creative shapes which were either portraying realistic items or making beautiful decorative items to colour. From this play, I started school. My ideal subjects, besides art, were maths and sciences. The latter two really add and assist the working within art. Understanding the capacity of materials tells you what to use to carry out functions portraying items. As well as understanding items to tell you what to use, realising about eyesight and neurosis can assist bringing attention to features within a total creation as well as the overall creation itself.

The reason I chose the piece The Lion’s Den is for its very distinct and accurate portrayal of the subject matter. I really appreciate the realistic portrayal of the lion cubs. In my own arts practice I like to be precise when creating realistic pieces. This is in contrast to my more abstract pieces where I like to play with line and form and do not have to consider realistic elements.

Keith Pawley

Folk Art Selection:

In the Lion’s Den, W.H. Rogers Oil on canvas, about 1870

The Narb2011, house paints, acrylic, felt tip pen, reclaimed door, junk mailPrice £848

Hunstanton in Winter 12012, photographic printPrice £53

Hunstanton in Winter 22012, photographic printPrice £53

Hunstanton in Winter 32012, photographic print Price £53

I was born in Leicester in 1971. I have painted, sketched and taken photos for approximately 25 years. In the broader sense of art I have also had opportunities within the music industry, leading me to be interested in sound sculpturing - particularly recording everyday life. I am currently collating a body of work focussing on the area of the city I live in. Outsider/folk art, I feel allows me to work in unconstrained ways, natural to me. I also work as an occupational therapist.

After working as a labourer for a few years, I acquired discarded doors and sheets of wood as well as numerous pots of paint. Generously using found and discarded objects, the painting of The Narb is on an interior fire door, with the junk mail I get through my door every week glued on for a surface to paint on. I used house paint, felt tip and acrylic. The picture is of the Narborough Road, leading into Leicester city from the motorway.

I chose G. H. Hepworth’s painting The Cathedral, Old Church Steps as I saw similarities in perhaps what caught the artist’s eye. No people, just building structures of that time.

Mark James

Folk Art Selection:

The Cathedral Old Church Steps by G.H. Hepworth Oil on panel, 1852

We would like to thank the following charitable bodies for their support in hosting a surgery day* and helping the artists access Outside In online:

Art in Minds, Worcester Shrub HillArty Party, TelfordArts at the Old Fire Station, OxfordThe Barber Institute of Fine Arts, BirminghamCommunity Arts Workshop, Leamington SpaCoventry Artspace, CoventryCharnwood Arts, LoughboroughCrisis skylight BirminghamEscape Arts, Stratford-upon-AvonGarage Arts, EveshamMK Gallery, Milton KeynesThe Public, West BromwichSifa Fireside, BirminghamShadow Light Artist’s Film OxfordWest Oxfordshire District Council

*Surgery days are an opportunity for Outside In to support artists to register and upload their work online.

For more information and a list of all the artists involved follow:

Outside In: CentralResource RoomVisit the resource room for Outside In: Central to learn more about the exhibition, take time to read books, watch a video, leave a comment or take part in an activity.

Talk by Roger CardinalFriday 7 June 2013, 3pm

Price includes exhibition, collections and grounds admission £20, concessions £17.50, members £7

Join Roger Cardinal, author of the pioneering Outsider Art (1972), contributing editor of Raw Vision magazine and curator of exhibitions in Britain, Europe and America, as he explores and celebrates various types of art outside the mainstream including Outsider Art, non-European Tribal Art, Folk Art, Child Art, Graffiti and much more.

www.outsidein.org

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